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There are a lot of advantages to choosing a structured settlement over a lump sum award. Most importantly, structured settlements are guaranteed to provide for the future needs of the injured party receiving the payments. Actually, most of the time, a structured settlement will provide for the personal and medical needs of an injured person for their entire lifetime. Lump sum awards, on the other hand, sometimes end up being wasted through poor investment strategies, overuse, and the ups and downs of the stock and investment market. The American Association of People with Disabilities endorses structured settlements, arguing that they could be the best and safest means of being sure an injured person who wins a tort case is provided for throughout their lifetime.

The second advantage of the structured settlement is the unique way it is managed by the tax code. More often than not, annuity payments are untaxed, meaning that more money makes its way into your pocket. Lump sum payments, in contrast, can incur a substantial tax burden which can mean that you will defintiely end up paying more taxes in the end.

Structured settlements also offer very much flexibility. In reality, no two structured settlements are the same, because each one is arranged to take into account the specific present and future needs of the injured party. For instance, several people will have the desire to receive a small annual sum, while others may want to receive several larger sums spread every few years or arranged around significant life events. Structured settlements could also be arranged to provide more money for the claimant later in life or more money as the claimant’s medical condition worsens. There are no limits to the different possibilities of the structured settlement, because it is a private arrangement between claimant and defendant.

Lastly, structured settlements have a number of exceptional advantages which end up increasing the net amount of award money for many people. For instance, your money cannot be reduced by divorce or the receipt of social security. Additionally, you may end up netting a larger award because you have to pay out less for lawyer and court fees incurred during a lengthy court battle.

You can also have the option to sell your structured settlement should you wish to cash out later down the road for a lump sum payment. There are many companies out there that specialize in this. Always take into account that companies who procure structured settlements from people have only one goal, to gain profit from their purchase, which is why occasionally their offers are a bit low. You can yet try approaching more than one company if you hope to sell a structured settlement, just to make sure that you get the highest payoff.

Ensure that the company who wants to buy your settlement is well established and well-funded. You do not want to trust your money to some fly-by-night company disappearing or going bankrupt even before paying you the buyout amount.

Ruth Rogers is a freelance writer that specializes in various financial topics like structured settlements, investments and money management.

When pets get ill, the bills can run into the hundreds or thousands of pounds. There is no government safety net for dogs and vets can be expensive. So how do you prepare yourself for these eventualities and cover yourself against the cost of a sick pet?

The most popular method is pet insurance, but it can be costly if you don’t shop around and you could find yourself without cover, without realising it if you are not careful. So how do you pick the best pet insurance for your pet and get the best deal on insurance for your pet?

Firstly, you need to decide how many pets you want to insure. If you have a number of pets, then insurance can start to add up significantly. If you own a pedigree pet then you can expect your insurance costs to be higher due to risk of theft and the fact that many pedigrees have congenital problems. You also need to look at any pre-existing conditions as they may not be covered by the insurance you are going to take out.

A good start for finding the cheapest pet insurance are the price comparison websites. There are a number out there that will compare insurance policies for you, but you have to do a little bit of extra digging to ensure that you are comparing like with like. For example, what is the third party cover of the policy? What are the excesses? Whilst you could find you are saving money on your monthly premiums, you may find yourself seriously out of pocket when it comes to making a claim.

Most insurance policies will insist your pet receives any annual injections they require. Failure to get this injections could leave you without cover in the case of a claim.

Also check whether the policy requires you to pay up front for any treatment and then claim from your insurance policy. This can make a difference to whether or not a policy is suitable for you.

There are even different levels of cover, ranging from basic cover with treatment per condition with a time limit on treatment length, to a mid range cover which has no time limit through to the lifetime cover for multiple conditions.

Depending on the health of your pet you need to choose the one that is appropriate. If your pet suffers from a condition like diabetes or arthritis and needs regular treatment then the more
expensive policy could be best. Otherwise one of the cheaper policies could be good enough for you.

Remember that not all insurers appear on the comparison sites. Sometimes you can get a better deal by approaching an insurer directly or you may find the special offers run by certain insurers provide a better deal. Nectarcard, Clubcard or other store run points schemes can offer a good deal, but make sure you are not missing out on the cover that you want for your pet.

Getting the cheapest pet insurance can be a concern for many people, but you need to make sure that you don’t compromise the cover for your pet for the sake of a few pounds.

Payday loans, as the name indicates are loans that you may want to take when your pay day is a few days away but you are in need of cash immediately. These are the times when you face with emergency situations like meeting medical expenses, paying college fees or expense on house repairs. The need may be anything but what is important is that it needs to be catered to immediately else the situation may worsen. In such circumstances the instant payday loans can be of great help.

Payday loans can provide you with instant cash facility to take care of your emergency needs. You can repay the loan when you get you next pay check. It is a simple process and does not involve much hassle. So if you are thinking of applying for instant payday loans to meet any of such needs, here are some basic things that you should know:

1. If you want to opt for a payday loan make sure that you are actually in need of that money. If the situation can be delayed for a few days taking a payday loan will not be a good idea. This is because you will also need to pay a high interest along with the loan when you repay it. So make sure the need for taking such a loan is justified.

2. Instant payday loans are generally unsecured, short term loans and the time period allotted on such loans is till your next payday. It is meant to meet your expenses like medical bills, credit card dues, college fees, car breakage, and electricity bills so on. It generally covers those expenses that cannot wait till your next salary arrives.

3. If you want to get a payday loan you need to submit certain documents to your lender. The documents consist of proofs regarding your job as a salaried person (past 3 months payslips), your valid bank account details and your age certificate. Without these basic details you will not be eligible for instant payday loans.

4. After you have submitted the documents they are checked by the lender your loan and if there are no issues your loan is approved. The loan amount gets transferred to your account which you can use as per your requirement.

5. Design a budget plan and spend accordingly so that you can repay the loan as soon as you get your pay check without adding any extra expense.

6. Do not default on the payment dates. The payday loans come with a high interest rate so if you default with the payments you are likely to accumulate a debt on your account which would be difficult to pay back later.

7. Do not fall prey to scams or fraud deals. Always check the background of the lender before you enter a deal. You must make sure that you are not charged more than the market price and are not falling prey to any loopholes.

Many people think that consolidating debts is a quick and easy way to solve their debt problems. It is easy and quick to get the loan and set it up, but there are still many dangers involved if they haven’t fully thought it through.

It happens all too often: John borrows $10,000 to consolidate his multiple credit card debts only to use his credit cards again when he feels the pinch. Before he knows it, John now has the $10k loan and a balance of $5k on his credit cards. He’s in more debt now than when he started.

To avoid this nasty debt cycle, you need to consider some important points before you make a decision. Here are the top 4 things you need assess:

• Do you spend more than you earn? A common reason for using a consolidation loan is to help with cash flow. But just like a vitamin supplement that will only help if you have a good diet to begin with, a consolidation loan will only help if your budget is cash flow positive. The worst thing you can do is take out a loan and they use your credit cards again when you feel the pinch.

• Can you afford the repayments? This comes after you consider your budget and based on that analysis, can you afford to repay the loan comfortably? The whole point of debt consolidation is to make the payment slighter lower and more affordable. If this isn’t the case, or you may struggle to meet the payments each month then you might need to look for another solution – like a debt management plan, for example.

• How long will the loan last? Sometimes, consolidating your debts to a lower monthly amount means you will pay for longer. This might be a positive if it means you aren’t struggling every month, but you need to be aware that you will be in debt for longer whereas most people are trying to get out of debt as soon as possible.

• How much will you repay in total? Another effect of paying the loan for longer is that the total repayment might be more than it would have been if you continued paying the previous amount. This might not be the case if you had high interest credit cards, and it gives you the more affordable repayment you might need, but you need to be aware that you might pay back more with a consolidation loan because it is taken over a longer period.

Hopefully these points will give you more information about whether a consolidation loan is right for your situation and you will know exactly what you’re signing up for.

They can be an excellent debt relief tool when used appropriately but many people think they are a magic bullet and get a nasty shock when they don’t change their spending habits or thinking and end up further in debt.

If you’ve taken out a consolidation loan in the past, share your experience with us in the comments below.

When a person is in need of a large sum of money to invest in or buy an asset they borrow money or take a loan from a bank or financial institution. By doing so, the borrower is bound to pay back that sum of money to the lender in monthly on yearly installments, or part by part.

Every loan has a tenure in which the borrower has to pay back the principal amount to the lender with an added interest. These installments are to be paid on time every month or every year. An interest is a sum the borrower has to pay the lender as a cost the loan is given at. It is usually a percentage of the principal that the borrower has to pay along with the installment.

Loans are of many types the main two being secured loans and unsecured loan. Secured loans are loans in which an asset of the borrower is promised to the lender. A mortgage loan is a secured loan. An unsecured loan is a loan in which no asset of the borrower is attached. A personal loan is a kind of unsecured loan. If a borrower fails to pay one or many installments on time a default occurs. In such cases, the lender classifies your loan as a defaulted loan.

Such a status can have adverse effects on the borrowers chance to get another loan in future. If the defaulter continues this pattern of not paying his installments on time it might lower his credit rating. Financial bodies refer to these ratings to decide whether to sanction a loan to borrowers.

If the borrower fails to pay his installments, defaulted loan notifications are sent to him. These notifications are not to be ignored. The longer the borrower ignores these notifications the worse the situation gets. Non-payment of installments or the loaned amount is also a criminal offence. The financial body that lent the money may use various techniques on a borrower to pay up. Default loan harassment is the most embarrassing and irritable technique. The lender keeps calling till you pay the amount due. They send agents to show up at your house and harass your family. The lender might also usurp the asset attached or mortgaged in case of secured loans. Once the asset is taken in there is no way to get it back but to repay the loan amount.